Vermilion review: Once-doomed restaurant gets new lease on life with new chef, edgy menu and a star turn on CNBC's 'Consumed'

By Michael Kaminer

|NEW YORK DAILY NEWS|

May 08, 2015 | 5:07 PM

Rohini Dey must have wanted to crawl home after opening Vermilion, a branch of her well-liked Chicago restaurant, in Midtown in 2008.

Critics pummeled its Latin-Indian fusion. Chefs came and went like delivery guys. Diners waved digital pitchforks. Any Google search of the restaurant linked the word "Vermilion" with the words "s--- show."

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But Dey had one more trick: She journeyed to India to recruit a new cook, then snagged a spot on CNBC's new restaurant reality show "Consumed." Sounds like a Hail Mary pass — but it paid off: Vermilion's food has been redeemed under Chef Aseema Mamaji — in fact, the restaurant produced one of my most memorable meals this year.

I wasn't sure what to expect from a humble Indian street snack like pani puri ($9), the puffy fried dough balls. Here, they're stuffed with chickpeas and — boom! — a fierce and frigid mint-chili blend that had me sitting at attention.

Spinach-saag arepa ($10) brings more genre-busting pleasure. On paper, the dish sounds ludicrous; on the plate, it's a home run. Mellow South American corn pockets make perfect partners for spicy Indian spinach and delicate paneer cheese. Chipotle — a brilliant stroke — adds intense dark notes.

Only one starter flops: crispy kale salad ($9) with South Indian lentil "gunpowder" dust. It arrives as a greasy pile of desiccated leaves and is ultimately a sloppy snack food.

Vermilion finds its footing again with mains. Drop your knife when eating these pork ribs ($23): Slathered in tangy, pitch-dark tamarind sauce, the meat almost slides off bones. With spicy quinoa and delicate tapioca crisps, it makes a delicious mess.